Andrew Bynum not ready; Sixers show they are by bopping Boston (With Video)

By CHRISTOPHER A. VITO

Monday, October 15, 2012

PHILADELPHIA -- The guy who has worn a uniform for more photoshoots than shootarounds was the focus Monday night.

Forget his teammates, who played to a 107-75 throttling of Boston. Forget his coach, who has had to endure questions about a guy he hasn't yet seen on the court.

The use-by date on Andrew Bynum is nearing its expiration. The 76ers are 14 days into their plan to rest Bynum for three weeks, and coach Doug Collins doesn't sound nearly as convinced as he once was that the 7-footer will be ready by the end of the preseason.

"This kid's 24 years old and we're going to listen to him and his body and when he's ready to play, he's going to be out there and be playing," Collins said.

The news on Bynum was that there was no news, unless joint grease is a headline-worthy sports term.

Prior to their exhibition, the team announced Bynum will continue his conditioning work, which means he'll continue to watch practices and games ... and continue to cross his fingers that he'll be given medical clearance for the Sixers' Oct. 31 season opener.

They expect Bynum, who's still rehabbing that balky right knee, to return to basketball activities by Oct. 24. Whether that means he'll be 100 percent by the time they open their season at home against Denver remains to be seen.

As for that timetable of inactivity, Collins seemed reticent in addressing whether Bynum would be a full participant by the end of the month. He'll have an injection of Synvisc, or joint grease, into that right knee Oct. 22 -- which could be the final hurdle standing between Bynum and court time with his new club.

"I looked at our practice schedule and I think we have the 23rd off based upon our exhibition schedule," Collins said. "We'll practice the 24th, 25th and 26th. I have to give him another day off, then we'll go the 28th, 29th and 30th.

"Then we start (the season), so a lot of that is going to be how he responds to increased activity. ... I think he and I have a good relationship with one another about the trust issue and talking and doing those things."

Collins emphasized Bynum's desire to play. He said Bynum told him Monday that he could play through the pain he's experiencing.

That's not going to happen.

"I know how important the home opener is," Collins said, "but we're not going to have another setback to where it costs you during the season where the games are being played. I'm going to listen to Andrew."

Precluded from games and practices, Bynum has been reduced to a spectator's role with the team he joined in August via trade. He underwent a noninvasive procedure in Germany Sept. 15 to cut down on the swelling and discomfort in his knee.

The Sixers added a piece of equipment to their practice facility to do the same.

"We just got the Bynum Mobile," Collins quipped.

It's an anti-gravity machine that gives a player a cardiovascular workout while making it feel as though he's at 80 percent weightlessness. That should, Collins hopes, limit the beating Bynum's knees take every time his feet hit the floor.

"I always kid him that I'm a (demon) on the elliptical, but two times up and down the floor, I'm not very good," Collins said. "When you get in that pool, you might be Michael Phelps, but when you start running it's a different world. He's going to be in good cardiovascular (shape), but the big thing is his timing. He's a skilled big man, and there's going to be so much pressure on him when he comes out and he's ready to play. We'll factor all those things in."

With Bynum absent yet again, the Sixers' options in the post were limited against the Celtics.

Collins went with a starting lineup that featured Lavoy Allen (5-for-6, 11 points) and Thad Young (7-for-15, 15 points), in an attempt to keep those two paired. He brought Spencer Hawes (6-for-10, 17 points) off the bench and kept Kwame Brown on the bench. Brown was a scratch due to a left calf strain he incurred in Sunday's practice.

Dorell Wright, who sat Saturday's preseason game, did not play the power forward spot against the Celtics because it was an unfavorable matchup, Collins said.

The Sixers torched the Celtics by hitting 49 percent of their shots, including a 6-for-12 effort from long range. Imagine, Nick Young said, how much better they'll be shooting when Bynum gets back and commands double teams defensively.

"When we get the big fella, it's only going to get easier," said Young, who had 14 points. "We can't wait for the big fella to be healthy, be ready. And hopefully he'll be ready for that first game."